1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a grommet. In particular, this invention relates to a two-part grommet assembly that can be attached and removed from a vehicular wall panel. The invention also relates to a method for attaching a grommet assembly to a vehicular wall panel.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Hei 4-137432 discloses a typical grommet assembly. In this grommet assembly, a wire harness 5 is threaded through a hole formed in an appropriate location in a panel 2 of a vehicle, e.g., an automobile. In order to fix the grommet assembly with respect to the vehicle panel 2, a cylindrical member 28 must be inserted into a cylindrical member 24 and a fixed member 22. Once the cylindrical member 28 is fully inserted through the hole, a lip portion of the cylindrical member 24 is expanded to form a mechanical lock with an interior surface of the vehicle panel 2. At the same time, a sealing portion 25 is compressed by a flange 29 to form a seal on the exterior surface of the vehicle panel 2. See FIG. 2. Alternatively, in FIG. 5, screws 16 are provided to attach the grommet 14 to the vehicle panel 2.
This prior art assembly is disadvantageous in that it requires a large force to press the cylindrical member 28 into place. As a result, this type of grommet assembly is not suitable for large scale quantity production. In addition, because the cylindrical member 28 is a separate element, it becomes necessary to perform the inserting operation of the cylindrical member 28 a plurality of times. Thus, the assembly operation is complex.